Edmonds
Edmonds is a New Zealand baking-products brand best known for its baking powder and the Edmonds Cookery Book.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Edmonds is a New Zealand food brand whose history combines baking ingredients, household marketing and one of the country's most enduring cookbooks. The business began in 1879 when Christchurch grocer Thomas Edmonds responded to customer complaints that available baking powder did not consistently make baked goods rise. After spending three years developing his own formula, he produced an initial batch of 200 tins and promoted it with the assurance that baked goods made with the product were “sure to rise.” That promise became the central slogan and identity of the brand. Edmonds initially grew through direct, local selling. Thomas Edmonds travelled around Canterbury demonstrating and marketing the baking powder to households. According to accounts later given by Edmonds, he offered a free tin to people who declined to buy one and promised to collect it if they were dissatisfied; he recalled that none were returned. This combination of product reliability, practical household education and confident branding helped the company become a major New Zealand pantry brand. The Edmonds family moved to a property at the corner of Aldwins Road and Ferry Road in Christchurch in the early 1890s. Production expanded there from sheds into a substantial factory, and the site became associated with the prominent “Sure to Rise” sign, landscaped gardens and the visual identity later used on the cookbook. The brand sold its millionth tin in 1912. By 1929, when New Zealand's population was approximately 1.5 million, annual sales had reached about three million tins. Empty tins were reportedly reused in Christchurch road construction, while during the Second World War households were encouraged to retain tins for possible military uses. Edmonds also built a relationship with consumers through recipes. Before the cookbook appeared, recipes were printed inside baking-powder tin lids. In 1908 the company published the first Edmonds cookbook, then titled the Sure To Rise Cookery Book. It began as a 50-page collection of accessible recipes based largely on staple and affordable ingredients. Later editions added photographs, sections responding to changing cooking technology and hundreds of recipes. The book became a foundational New Zealand domestic reference and, with more than three million copies sold by 2015, is widely described as the best-selling New Zealand-published book. It has also been treated as a national cultural symbol, or Kiwiana, rather than merely a promotional publication. The product portfolio has included baking powder, flour, cake mixes, yeast, baking soda and custard powder. Edmonds has also sold jelly crystals, associated with the “sure to set” phrase, egg powder and pastry products. The pastry range was discontinued in 2023. The brand's principal commercial significance remains its baking and dessert ingredients, while the cookbook extends Edmonds into publishing, food education and household heritage. Ownership and operations changed during the late twentieth century. Brierley Investments acquired Edmonds in 1984. Head-office and manufacturing activities moved from Christchurch to Auckland during the 1980s, and the historic Ferry Road factory was demolished in 1990 after its closure, a decision that generated controversy. Part of the former site and its gardens was acquired by Christchurch City Council in 1991. The preserved gardens, including later additions such as an oval and rose garden, continue to connect the brand with Christchurch. As of the reference period, Edmonds was owned by Goodman Fielder and remained an active New Zealand consumer-food brand.
History
Thomas Edmonds founded the business in 1879 after hearing customers complain that existing baking powder could not be relied upon to make baking rise. He spent three years developing a formula of his own while his wife managed the grocery shop. The first production run consisted of 200 tins. Edmonds marketed the product with the promise that baking made with it was “sure to rise,” a claim that developed into the brand's long-running slogan and core proposition. The early company relied heavily on personal selling and demonstration. Thomas Edmonds travelled through Canterbury, offering households the opportunity to try the product. Accounts later attributed to him describe a guarantee under which he would leave a free tin with people who initially declined and take it back if they were unhappy. He recalled that customers did not return any tins. This approach helped establish Edmonds as a dependable household product rather than simply another packaged grocery item. In the early 1890s the Edmonds family moved to a property at Aldwins Road and Ferry Road in Christchurch. Manufacturing expanded from sheds to a factory, and the site became visually identified with a large “Sure to Rise” sign and carefully maintained gardens. The factory and gardens later appeared on Edmonds packaging and on the cover of the cookery book, making the Christchurch premises a major part of the brand's public image. The company sold its millionth tin in 1912. By 1929 it was selling approximately three million tins annually in a country whose population was about 1.5 million. The empty tins acquired secondary uses, including reported reuse in Christchurch road construction. During the Second World War, the Home Guard encouraged households to retain tins for potential military purposes. Recipe communication was an important part of Edmonds' consumer relationship. Recipes were printed in baking-powder tin lids before the company produced a standalone book. The first edition appeared in 1908 under the title Sure To Rise Cookery Book. It contained 50 pages and emphasized straightforward recipes using familiar, economical ingredients. A photographic edition appeared in 1930. From 1955 onward, the factory was generally shown on the cover, reinforcing the connection between the product and its place of origin. Later editions reflected domestic technological change: the 1971 edition focused on gas cooking, and microwave-baking guidance was added in 1988. A 2012 edition contained more than 500 recipes. The book was originally distributed in a particularly accessible manner. Consumers could write to the company to request a free copy, and engaged couples whose announcements appeared in newspapers reportedly received one during the 1940s. From 1955 it became a paid product. By 2015, more than three million copies had been sold. It is widely regarded as the best-selling New Zealand-published book and has been described as a national icon and an example of Kiwiana. Its cultural profile was reinforced when it appeared in a 2008 postage-stamp series representing New Zealand icons. The business expanded beyond baking powder into flour, cake mixes, yeast, baking soda and custard powder. Other historical lines included jelly crystals, promoted with the phrase “sure to set,” egg powder and pastry products. The pastry range was discontinued in 2023. These lines positioned Edmonds across several everyday baking and dessert occasions while retaining the original promise of reliable results. Ownership changed in the 1980s when Brierley Investments bought Edmonds in 1984. During that decade head-office and manufacturing operations moved to Auckland. The Christchurch factory was subsequently abandoned and controversially demolished in 1990. Christchurch City Council bought part of the gardens in 1991. The preserved grounds later included an oval and rose garden, while the wider gardens featured features such as a lily pond, creek and memorial rose garden. They continue to be maintained by a local community group and are used for public purposes, including weddings. The Edmonds name remains associated with Goodman Fielder, which owned the brand as of the cited reference period. Its contemporary identity therefore rests on two linked assets: a continuing range of New Zealand baking ingredients and a cookbook with an unusually strong place in the country's domestic and cultural history.
- 2023
Pastry range discontinued
[1]The brand discontinued its pastry range.
- 2008
Cookery book featured on national-icons stamp series
[1]The Edmonds Cookery Book appeared in a New Zealand stamp series celebrating national icons.
- 1991
Council acquires part of factory gardens
[1]Christchurch City Council bought part of the former factory gardens for preservation and public use.
- 1990
Ferry Road factory demolished
[1]The former Christchurch factory was demolished after manufacturing had moved away, prompting controversy.
- 1984
Acquired by Brierley Investments
[1]Brierley Investments acquired Edmonds.
- 1929
Annual sales reach three million tins
[1]Reported annual baking-powder sales reached approximately three million tins.
- 1912
Millionth tin sold
[1]The company reported selling its millionth tin of baking powder.
- 1908
First cookery book published
[1]Edmonds published the first Sure To Rise Cookery Book, initially a 50-page collection of practical recipes.
- 1892
Christchurch factory established
[1]The Ferry Road site developed into a three-storey factory associated with the brand's prominent “Sure to Rise” sign.
- 1879
Business founded
[1]Thomas Edmonds established the business as a manufacturer and seller of baking powder in Christchurch.
Products and positioning
A trusted, practical New Zealand pantry brand centered on dependable baking results, accessible recipes and household familiarity.
Baking ingredient · 1879
Edmonds Baking Powder
The founding product of Edmonds and the item that established its “Sure to Rise” promise. The baking powder was developed by Thomas Edmonds in response to concerns about inconsistent results from existing products. It became a mass household staple in New Zealand and remains the brand's most closely associated ingredient.
Cookbook · 1908
Edmonds Cookery Book
First published in 1908 as the Sure To Rise Cookery Book, this collection presents practical recipes based on familiar and relatively affordable ingredients. It evolved through photographic editions and sections addressing gas cooking and microwave baking. With more than three million copies sold by 2015, it is regarded as a major New Zealand publishing and cultural phenomenon.
Baking mix
Edmonds Cake Mixes
Prepared mixes intended to simplify home cake baking. They extend Edmonds' original reliability positioning into convenient, repeatable baking occasions.
Baking ingredient
Edmonds Flour
Flour products form part of Edmonds' broader pantry range for everyday home baking and complement its baking powder, yeast and cake-mix offerings.
Dessert ingredient
Edmonds Custard Powder
A dessert and baking ingredient within the Edmonds pantry portfolio, supporting the brand's longstanding association with familiar home-prepared sweets.
Pastry product
Edmonds Pastry Range
A historical Edmonds pastry offering that broadened the brand beyond dry baking ingredients. The range was discontinued in 2023.
Controversies
Marketing campaigns
- 1908Recipe-led household education
New Zealand
Edmonds moved from recipes printed on baking-powder tin lids to a standalone cookbook, using practical recipes to help households use its products.
Outcome. The cookbook became a long-running commercial and cultural asset, ultimately selling more than three million copies by 2015.
- 1879Sure to Rise product guarantee
New Zealand
Thomas Edmonds promoted his new baking powder by promising dependable rising results and offering trial tins to hesitant households. The phrase became the defining slogan of the brand.
Outcome. The promise became a durable part of Edmonds' identity and packaging.
Brand decisions
2023
Discontinue pastry rangeGeneration changeBackground
The Edmonds portfolio had included pastry products in addition to its established baking ingredients.
Action taken
The pastry range was discontinued.
Aftermath
The reported active portfolio continued to center on baking powder, flours, cake mixes, yeast, baking soda and custard powder.
1980
Move head office and manufacturing to AucklandStrategyBackground
During the 1980s, Edmonds changed its operating footprint away from the historic Christchurch factory.
Action taken
Head-office and manufacturing functions were moved to Auckland.
Aftermath
The Ferry Road factory was abandoned and later demolished, while part of the gardens was preserved by Christchurch City Council.
Sources2 sources
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